guilty pleasure:
Cabin Fever (2002), a personal favorite.
Have a great Labor Day weekend, avoid the tap water.
We will be back next week.
8/28/08
Whorror Favorite: Apocalypto
I took a couple Mayan History classes in college, I was excited to see this one. Now, I know, it’s not really a horror genre movie, but I don’t think anyone who has seen it and it’s 114 body count would argue. It’s gorgeous and thrilling. So exciting to see this empire recreated, living and breathing. On the DVD the special behind the scenes stuff, while well marinated in Mel Gibson, are fascinating if you enjoyed the history or the production design.
100 Things to do before you die... quickly!
8/26/08
Seven Dumpsters and a Corpse...
A Film by Thomas Haemmerli, 2007
After their mother’s death, two Swiss brothers, upon entering her apartment, found out she had become a hoarder. They documented the process of excavating a lifetime of stuff after a family member dies:
"Amidst the chaos of their dead mother’s apartment, two brothers irreverently piece together their family history. It’s a strange but unique saga involving baronesses and counts; stolen lovers and Nazi officers; lawsuits and counter lawsuits and lots and lots of cats. Compelling and darkly hilarious.”
Full documentary here, Seven Dumpsters and a Corpse
This one is dedicated to El Sloganero and my brother.
Historic Relic... Chapman's Double Fantasy
Mark Chapman has been trying to get some cash for the album John Lennon signed hours before his murder for years. This piece of history is currently up for sale at £312,500.
I guess this historic relic is a little classier than the auction of Jeffry Dahmer's refrigerator.
8/25/08
Odd Person of Note: Harry Andrews
Incredibly intelligent Harry Andrews lead an interesting life but, when he retired at 65, he started a building project that would be his legacy. As dementia phased in, his dreams took flight! He spent decades building (nearly single handedly) a massive 16th Century Medieval castle on 1.5 acres outside of Cincinnati, OH. Hauling water in pails from the river and making bricks in milk cartons.
The truly impressive Loveland Castle (Chateau Laroche) and Harry Andrews received a lot of attention over the years from the news and locals. The castle served a greater purpose though... Harry retreated into a more simple time, rejecting the modern world, and founded the Knights of the Golden Trail. Something like Boy Scouts, they did camping, and they emulated the ideals of noble knight of yore.
“What about those Knights, the young men for whom Harry built the castle and to whom it was willed when he died? "Nothing that God ever made on the earth is more awe inspiring and heart warming than the sight of a noble youth just budding into manhood," Harry wrote. "Any man of high ideals who wishes to help save civilization is invited to become a member of the Knights of the Golden Trail."
The Knights still maintain the castle today and welcome tourists. I stopped by on a road trip (took these pictures below).
To learn more about this architect, leader, visionary and possible dirty old man, (including how he cheated death once, but ultimately died of an infection from when he lit his pants on fire on the castle roof while burning trash). Click here! Or here!
8/24/08
Problem Solving: Contingency Cannibalism
Loved it! Contingency Cannibalism: Superhardcore Suvivalism’s Dirty Little Secret (Shiguro Takada) is a humorous telling of the history of survivalist cannibalism. Sure some parts are grisly, but it’s full of stories of the incredible lengths man goes to survive! The author tries to keep it light. Taboo and horrific, cannibalism is a part of the human condition and history.
Makes me think of another great book: Alive
Whorror Favorite... Hostel 1 and 2
Hostel (2005): I know, I know. I’m not usually very fond of torture movies but I thought the concepts were great. Premise: there is a place where you can pay to torture/kill a stranger for entertainment. The movie is full of bursts of slasher movie gore, but after squirming and wincing through the first half of the movie at the monsters who murder for blood lust… by the end of the movie you are yelling for blood and equally brutal payback.
Hostel: Part 2 (2007): In the first movie, most of the victims were male. The sequel tackles the even more terrifying female victim perspective, but pays off in an epic feminist hero conclusion. Also the “customers” and business side of murder are explored.
Both were very scary. However unpopular, I kinda like this director’s movies because the does a fun 1980's combination of teens and disgustingly gory special effects, comedy and horror. On a snootier level: the Hostels movies are about the price of life and blatantly exposes the viewer's own guilt for being entertained by violence and terror.
Psychology and Movie Monsters
Odd Person of Note: The Edies!
The famous Big Edie and Little Edie Beale were wealthy society girls turned delusional hermits. Cousins of Jackie O, all the family girls always married prominent and wealthy. After Big Edie’s divorce, the mother and daughter lived exclusively in their East Hampton estate, Grey Gardens. The two of them, with very little money, didn’t leave and allowed the mansion to deteriorate to a crumbling, hoarders den with 300 cats and raccoons in the attic. When the Health Dept. threatened to tear it down, Jackie and her sister bailed them out and repaired the home.
The classic documentary Grey Gardens (1975, Albert and David Maysles) is the delicious voyeur’s peep into the bizarre world of the Beales. Although it had only been a few years since the refurbishment, the movie shows Grey Gardens is well on its way back to its former state.
Apparently they are making a movie for 2008 about Grey Gardens, Drew Barrymore stars as Little Edie.
"My mother doesn't believe in kitty litter. She prefers boxes and paper. And she's the cat lover. So you can imagine how I suffer." - Little Edie
"Jackie was twelve years younger than I, and although I was never jealous of her, I never liked her. You know what Jackie wanted? She wanted the house. Yes darling, that's the truth, and she did everything she could to get it. Then Jackie sent her sister Lee, who I've always been absolutely terrified of- I think she's a big criminal. Lee and her boyfriend came around and started to tear the house down with axes. Don't go near any of these people for God's sake, they're all insane!" - Little Edie
"Of course the house isn't perfectly normal. The house has to be done over. You know how hard it is to get plumbers in the autumn." - Little Edie
You think it would look sexier with the bra underneath? I think it would. - Little Edie
"What a Wonderful World": a Tool of Terror!
Just like 'Clockwork Orange' and 'Singing in the Rain', movie directors can turn our favorite songs into tools of terror! The juxtaposition of sweet songs and violence is always an unnerving one, making already horrible images or events that much more tragic. I noticed it today while watching 'Good Morning Vietnam'. Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" is laid out over a montage of war in Vietnam with haunting and almost requiem like effect. The same song and contrast is also used in Michael Moore's 'Bowling for Columbine' (great movie) over an incredible history of violent American policy.
8/23/08
The Strangest Disaster of the 20th Century
A man in Cameroon goes to town one day and finds everyone dead! Did he step... into the Twilight Zone? A volatile lake turns out to be the cause of this deadly natural disaster.
Odd Person of Note: Michael Carroll
The tragic Michael Carroll won 10 million pounds in the British lottery and earned his tabloid title “Lottery lout” by using his winnings to be the biggest jerk ever. Of course, he bought expensive homes, cars, cocaine and jewelry—but he also spewed death threats at most, was a notoriously paranoid thug and avid racist. To the horror of his neighbors, he turned the back yard of one his residences into his own private demolition derby. When he ran out of derby cars, he and his entourage would smash the luxury cars! He became an infamous tabloid media monster, amateur boxer, drug addict, and criminal. He squandered his millions in an astonishing 18 months, he also lost his family. Not surprisingly, he inspired countless news articles and a documentary.
Clip from Keith Allen's documentary on Carroll "King of Chavs" 1 of 3... check em all out, they made me crave Stella Artois.
7 Lottery Winners Who Lost Their Millions
Curse of the Lottery, THS Investigates on E!
Whorror Favorite... Ju-On
The first Japanese horror movie I ever saw, it scared the crap out of me. It's exotic, beautiful, and haunting. I have seen many Japanese horror movies since, but none compare to Ju-On, in my opinion.
I do not recommend the American version, even if it is the same director. Also, make sure to watch the deleted/alternate scenes and do subtitles... not english dub!
Mass Hysteria!
Odd Person of Note: Hermits!
Hermits! People who live in seclusion from society. Mental illness? Political Statement? There are probably many reasons one becomes a hermit but... as an occupation?In 18th c. England, it became a fad to acquire an ornamental hermit for your property. and house them in romantic replica ruins of temples or abbeys. Rich country gentlemen enjoyed their "exotic" nature, living alone with few possessions, and showed them off to friends. Sometimes they even sought wisdom from these solitary men on the fringe of society.
Blame the Movies!
Scream makes this list, which I guess I was surprised by.
It is one of my favorites because it was the first scary movie I saw as an adult (since the whole Jaws trauma) and started my "hobby" of watching horror films... for fun!
Olympic Hero: Jesse Owens and Hitler
Quotes from Jesse owens:
"Although I wasn't invited to shake hands with Hitler, I wasn't invited to the White House to shake hands with the President either."
The Germans proved to be very welcoming to him as a celebrity, allowing him to stay in 'white' hotels. Back in the USA the was subject to the stringent segregation of the time. He was not invited to the White House and after the New York Ticker Tape Parade in his honor, he had to ride a service elevator to his reception at the Waldorf.
Whorror Favorite... Severance!
I love this movie. This British production is half comedy and half slasher film (a la ‘Shaun of the Dead’ and zombies). An outdoorsy office team-building retreat for a large weapons manufacturer accidently stubles upon a very well armed threat.
What I thought was most remarkable is that the comedy was so funny and the horror so brutally terrifying. Some reviews have called it “The Office meets Deliverance” or “Office Space meets Hostel”. The play with these 2 genres was very entertaining… laughing and screaming. Good stuff.
It is also where my banner image comes from. Cheers!
I Want One! Polish Movie Poster Art
Polish Movie Posters have some of the most art on the, with reinterpretations of American films too. The Birds is my favorite. Although The Empire Strikes Back is pretty exceptional.
Odd Person of Note: Myra Davis
From Uncle John's Bathroom Reader:
MYRA DAVIS, Janet Leigh’s body double in the film Psycho
Story: Davis was Leigh’s stand-in, she was one of several people who provided the voice of Norman Bates’s mother, and it was her hand that was seen in the famous shower scene in which Leigh’s character is stabbed to death.
Final Irony: On July 3, 1988, Davis was found strangled in her Los Angeles home, murdered by a 31-year-old "caretaker and handyman" … just like the character portrayed by Anthony Perkins in Psycho.
Odd Person of Note: St. Expeditus
St. Expeditus
Patron Saint for Procrastinators
wiki:
"The most popular legend surrounding the saint says that the day when he decided to become a Christian, the Devil took the form of a crow and told him defer his conversion until the next day, but Expeditus stomped on the bird and killed it, declaring, "I'll be a Christian today!""
Whorror Favorite... Teeth
Highly recommend!
Premise: Vagina Dentata. This movie, sure to be a hard one to watch for men, is actually a very funny, very dark comedy. I thought it was totally original and fun. As it always has been, the penis is a weapon, this movie turn the tables in something that resembles a humorous modern feminist manifesto.
Odd Person of Note: The Collyer Brothers
I read a book a while ago called 'Ghosty Men: The Strange but True Story of the Collyer Brothers, New York's Greatest Hoarders: An Urban Historical', a very descriptive title indeed. These very wealthy brothers lived in a townhouse in Harlem (5th and 128th). They seemed to share a hoarding problem, packing the entire house from floor to ceiling, fortified with booby traps. Becoming recluses, the house eventually led to their unfortunate and rather grisly demise. This left the enormous problem of the packed house on the hands of the city. The excavation turned up a massive list of things ranging from a Model T Ford to decades of newspapers and drew quite a crowd.
A couple years after I read this book I had the pleasure/horror of visiting a property being cleared of a life time of hoarding. It brought home how sad this behavior is. Fascinating nonetheless. Some of my pictures below.
8/22/08
Problem Solving: Bruce Lee's 'Game of Death'
Part of the mistique of Bruce Lee is often his unfortunate death while the while filming. He had just started filming fight scenes for 'Game of Death'. The studios decided to go ahead anyway and took the 11 minutes they had in the can and built an entire movie about it.
How did they do that?
Problem Solving
How do you make a movie using a dead actor? Golden Harvest tackled the problem in a number of different ways:
- Lee’s double was filmed in wide angle shots, from behind, or in the dark whenever possible.
- Reaction shots of the real Bruce Lee, recycled from his earlier films, were spliced into the scenes with Lee’s double.
- In one scene they literally cut out a still photograph of Bruce Lee’s head and pasted it on the screen over the double’s head.
- In scenes where the double does show his face, he wears a large pair of dark sunglasses and sometimes even a fake moustache and beard. In other scenes he wears a motorcycle helmet with the darkened visor pulled down.
- The plot was written to explain the character’s changed appearance: Early in the film a gangster tried to kill Billy Lo by shooting him in the face. Lo survives, but undergoes plastic surgery to repair the damage, and emerges from the hospital literally a new man.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium.. done!
My brother and I swung by this decrepit beauty outside Louisville, Kentucky. We did a night tour that was full of teens out for a scream and ghost-hunting nerds. Incredible building with a fascinating history, in horrible shape. No, we did not see any ghosts. There was a horror movie filmed there called 'Death Tunnel', it sucked.
These images are mine.
Whorror Favorite: Children of Men
LOVE this movie intensely. While not technically a "horror" movie, it's positively terrifying! Beautiful! See it!
The groundbreaking camera work explained. Flawless!
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